Island



(No Model.)

WITNEE 5 E E G. W. STAFFORD.- JAGQUARD MECHANISM.

Patented May 24, 1892.

555 INVENTE'JFL GEORGE W. STAFFORD, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

JACQUARD MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,711, dated May 24,1892. Application filed November 27, 1891. serial No. 413,832. (Nomodel.)

To all-whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. STAFFORD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in JacquardMechanism, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

Jacquard mechanisms as at present ordinarily constructed cannotsatisfactorily and successfully be run at the desired high speeds.Various improvements in such mechanisms have been devised and put intopractical use, these improvements being of a characterwhich has resultedin the application of simpler and better mechanical principles to theworking parts of the mechanisms than formerly was the case and in agreat increase in the possible capacity of the said mechanisms. There ismet in practice, however, one difficulty which places practically alimit upon the speed that may be attained-that is to say, the devices atpresent employed in such mechanisms for presenting in succession theperforated cards in position for acting upon the horizontal needles andfor moving each of the said cards in turn against the ends of the saidneedles and thereby determining which vertical hook shall be engaged bythe vertically-moving griff and which hook shall not be engaged are ofsuch a character that they require considerable time for theiroperation, thereby reducing the speed of the entire mechanism and of theloom to which the latter is applied, and also present the cards againstthe ends of the needles with a blow, which is very severe upon thecards, this blow increasing in force and injurious effect as the speedis increased. It is my object to obviate this difficulty and to providea mechanism in which I the time required for feeding forward the in asatisfactory manner for the attainment of these improved results, and itwill first be described in connection with the accompanyin g drawings,and then be particularly pointed out and distinctly defined in theclaims at the close of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side eleva tion, with a small part brokenaway, of a J acquard mechanism embodying my invention. Figs. 2 and 3show details.

The frame of the Jacquard mechanism is shown at a. Within this frameIhave shown an upper griff b and a lower griff c. The upper griff b isconnected at each end thereof by a bracket 1) to the vertical rod d,which is held in bearings c on the frame a, only one of these bearingsbeing shown in' Fig. 1, and through which bearings the said rod is freeto slide up and dowh. The griff c has connected therewith at each end abracket j, which is formed with sleeves that fit and slide upon thevertical rod 5?. Upon each side of the frame is pivoted a bell-crank g.To the downwardly-projecting arm of this bell-crank is pivotallyconnected a rod h, which .at its upper end is pivotally connected to thebracket 1) at the corresponding end of the upper griff. To theupwardly-extending arm of the bell-crank is pivotally connected one endof a rod 2', which at its other end is pivotally connected with thebracket f at the corresponding end of the lower griff. To the dependingarm of the bell-crank is pivotally connected also the upper end of aconnecting rod j, which at its lower end is pivotally connected to alever 7t, deriving its movementin suitable well-known manner from one ofthe shafts of the loom to which the Jacquard mechanism is applied.

The vertical hooks of the Jacquard mechanism are shown at Z, and m arethe horizontal needles which engage with the said hooks. Thepattern-cardsnare perforated in the usual manner and act upon needles mfor the purpose of determining the lifting of the hooks by the uppergriff, as usual. Ordinarily the said cards, which are linked togetherinto a series as customary, pass around a cylinder or prism having theshaft thereof supported in journal-bearings in a vibrating frame orbatten. This vibrating frame or batten swings toward and from the endsof the needles durme; the working of the loom, and in the movementtoward the same it carries that card wh ch is on the adjacent face ofthe prism or cyhnder into contact with the ends of the needles. As thebatten moves outward to carry the cylinder or prism and the cardspassing around the same away from the ends of the needles the cylinderor prism is given a partial revolution upon its axis by well-knownmechanism, so that as the frame or batten moves inward again a new cardshall be presented to the needles. 'With this construction andarrangement necessarily a long movement is given to the prism orcylinder and cards, in order that they may be carried away from theneedles sufficiently far to permit of the turning of the cylinder orprism about its axis, and as the parts require to move quickly the cardsstrike against the ends of the needles with quite a forcible blow, whichis very severe on the cards and causes considerable wear and tearthereof.

In my improved mechanism I employ a cylinder or prism 0, which ismounted in stationary bearings that are formed in or applied to abracket 29, projecting from the frame a, at each side thereof. To theshaft of this cylnder or prism 0 is applied a pin-wheel q, and 1t 1sprovided with a hooked pawl r, which engages with the pins of the saidpin-wheel for the purpose of rotating the cylinder or prism, this pawlbeing pivotally connected with one end of a lever s, which is pivoted onthe brackets 19 and at its other end is connected by a rod t with one ofthe brackets b of the upper griff. To the said shaft is also applied asecond pin-wheel q, and against the pins of thls wheel acts aspring-actuated locking device or hammer (1 From the side of thecylunder or prism which is turned toward the machine the cards hang downin front of the ends of the needles. In order to cause each card to actin turn against the ends of the needles, I provide a press-board u.Holes or perforations-such as are formed in each face of the prismusually employed in Jacquard mechanismare formed in this press-boardopposite the ends of the needles; but none are formed in the cylinder orprism 0 above referred to, because none are needed. The pressboard issupported at each end on a rod 01, mounted in bearings on the side ofthe frame a, and when farthest away from the ends of the needles it isseparated therefrom only by a space sufficient to permit of the freepassage of the cards between the board and the ends of the needles-sayabout one-half an inch. On one side of each rod 1) is a stud or bowl,which enters a slot w, formed in a bar 00, carried by the bracket f ofthe lower griff. The

1 said slot 10 has two vertical portions, which are connected by a shortdiagonal portion sufficient to produce the endwise movement of the rodand the movement of the attached press-board. As each card which lies infront of the press-board is carried inward against the ends of theneedles, in consequence of the inward movement of the press-board, it isnecessary that the card should occupy a precisely fixed position andpresentits holes or perforations accurately to the ends of the needles.For the purpose of fixing the card in proper relative position to theface of the press-board at the ti me when the press-board moves inwardto carry the said card against the ends of the needles I employ rods 3having pointed ends, which are caused to enter the holes which areformed in the cards at the ends thereof for the reception of the studson the prlsm or cylinder. These truing-rods are supported in bearings onthe sides of the frame a, and are acted upon by means of bell-cranklevers z. The vertical arm of each bell-crank extends upwardly intoposition to bear upon the end of the corresponding truing-rod y, whilethe horizontal arm of each lever rests upon the surface of a cam 01.,that is mounted on a cross-shaft c, which is provided with an arm cl,that is connected by a rod c with the bell-crank g. The cam justmentioned acts through the bell-crank lever to thrust the pointed end ofthe rod into the corresponding stud-hole of the card. The rod isretracted by means of a spring f, which surrounds the rod and at one endthereof bears against a fixed part of the frame and at the other endthereof against a pin or shoulder on the rod.

The operation of the devices described will be apparent. As the prism orcylinder is rotated intermittingly it draws up the cards between thepress-board and the ends of the needles, and by the action of thepress-board each card in turn is carried forward against the ends of theneedles; Each card is given its correct position on the face of thepressboard with relation to the needles by means of the truing-rods.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with the needles of aJacquard mechanism, of a card cylinder or prism, stationary hearings inwhich the said cylinder or prism is mounted, means for rotating the saidcylinder or prism, a press board located adjacent to the needles, meansfor moving the same toward and from the needles, truing-rods adapted toact upon the card located in front of the press-board and to bring thesame into correct position, and means for operating the saidtruing-rods, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the needles of a Jacquard mechanism, the hooks,a movable griff or griffs, and means for actuating the latter, of acylinder or prism, stationary bearings in which the said cylinder orprism is mounted, means for rotating the said cylinder or prism, apress-board, a rod by which the same is supported, a stud or roller onthe said rod, an arm connected with the griif or one of the griffs andhaving a cam-slot therein, a truing-rod adapted to bring the cardlocated in front of the press-board into correct position, a spring forretracting the said rod,

lo a rod by which the said press-board is carried, a stud or roller 011the said rod, and a bar connected with the said griff or one of thegriffs and having a cam-slot, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in l 5 presence of twoWitnesses.

GEO. W. STAFFORD.

l/Vitn esses:

CHARLES H. POLAND, J. A. VICKERY.

